The present invention relates to image processing systems and methods, and more particularly to image processing systems that process images with curves. Curves in an image provide information regarding underlying structures in the image. Curves that are apparent in brain images, for example, provide physicians with useful landmarks that can be used for treating patients. Pronounced gross morphological features of the cerebral hemisphere in mammals are known to manifest a diverse and complex arrangement of the sulcal fissures visible throughout the cortical surface of a mammalian brain. Some atlases of human anatomy catalog curved features comprising major sulci and gyri in images.
Computational metrics defined by cortical geometry such as geodesic length has attracted the attention of the neuroscience community. These special types of curved structures in the anatomy provide information for studying, among other things, the role of wiring length in the general layout of the nervous system. Despite their anatomic and functional significance curves in anatomical images such as the gyri, sulci, and many stable cortical pathways consistently appearing in the images often exhibit pronounced variability in size and configuration.
Conventional approaches for locating and characterizing curves in images are lacking because of limitations such as computational inefficiency, noise sensitivity, and an inability to accurately model curves of interest in images. There is, therefore, a need for an image processing system that overcomes the limitations of the conventional techniques.
The present invention provides a methodology for processing images with curves. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and obtained by the method and apparatus particularly pointed out in the written description and the claims hereof as well as in the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described, a system according to the invention identifies image data points defining a curve. The method comprises the steps of determining a start point and an end point for the curve, establishing a search space that includes at least the start point, the end point, and other image data elements comprising the curve, and searching the search space using a dynamic programming algorithm to locate image data elements corresponding to the curve.
Another embodiment consistent with the present invention identifies image data points defining a curve. The method comprises the steps of determining a start point and an end point for the curve, generating a model of the curve, establishing a search space that includes at least the start point, the end point, and other image data elements comprising the curve, and searching the search space using a dynamic programming algorithm and the model for the curve to locate image data elements corresponding to the curve.
Yet another embodiment consistent with the present invention matches a first curve to a second curve. The method comprises the steps of identifying a first curve, identifying a second curve, generating a higher order distance measure for comparing the first curve and the second curve, and matching the first curve to the second curve using the higher order distance measure.
Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.